Effectively Answering Question 2 on the Blue Form (November 2013)
The first question specifically asks for summary:
1. “Briefly summarize the professional development activity.”
The second question is about reflection and making connections to your professional goals and practice/teaching responsibilities:
2. “Explain how this activity helped you meet your goal/enhanced professional growth in your endorsement area. Be specific.”
Here are a few samples to consider:
Reading and discussing Pathways to the Common Core helped me to better understand the state standards and how to align my teaching and activities with the standards. Developing a unit allowed all 4th grade teachers to create a teachable unit aligned with the standards.
Having access to webinars is a wonderful way to improve my knowledge and use of technology in order to enhance student learning. I learned how to use the EveryDay Math games with both a small group and whole group more effectively. I am now able to more effectively differentiate the level of the games for my students.
Speaking with colleagues about certain students helped me confirm my intuition about how best to reach them to help them become better students. Some colleagues have had more experiences with varying needs of students than others and SCT was a way to learn more about different learning styles and make me a better and more empathetic teacher.
As a returning grade 6 teacher, this professional day familiarized me with not only grade 6 common core standards, but current 6th grade literacy practices. I will be able to effectively teach and assess using the scope and sequence we established along with new standards-based assessments in the area of literacy.
Additional ideas/questions for reflecting on a PD experience can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/a/falmouthschools.org/plcss/reflecting-on-a-pd-experience
Questions to consider when thinking about a professional learning experience:
1. How did this learning experience connect to our school’s mission and vision statements?
2. How did this learning experience connect to your own personal growth plans? Why was this learning experience important to you as an educator? How will it change who you are as a teacher?
3. How has this learning experience impacted the work you do with the colleagues you collaborate with or the students in your classroom?
4. How do you intend to build on this learning experience? Will there be additional studies involved? Are you planning new lessons as a result of what you have learned? Can you share what you’ve learned with other teachers on our faculty?
Adapted from
Ferriter, William M., Jason Ramsden, and Eric Sheninger.Communicating and connecting with social media. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press, 2011. Print. <go-solution-tree.com/technology>.